Cuba Suffers Blackouts Due to 23.5% Service Deficit

The state-owned company Unión Eléctrica (UNE) of Cuba announced for this Sunday new blackouts due to a generation capacity deficit of 23.5% during peak demand hours.

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The deficit will decrease again, unlike other days this week, when this indicator exceeded 50% of the generation capacity. However, power outages are expected during Sunday, September 4.

The prolonged and uncomfortable blackouts of the last few days have been affecting for months all the provinces of the island -including Havana since last August-, with some of them reaching up to 12 consecutive hours.

The linemen of the province of Santiago de Cuba work on the solution of breakdowns and attention to interruptions.

Power outages, due to failures and breakdowns in the outdated thermoelectric power plants (CTE), lack of fuel and scheduled maintenance, are becoming more and more frequent in the country.

Six generating units of several TPPs are out of service due to breakdowns and one is undergoing maintenance.

According to UNE data collated by EFE, 60 of the 62 days in July and August there were power outages on the island.

The Cuban government seeks to reduce blackouts by the end of the year through repairs and new investments, and to reduce dependence on fossil fuels it plans that by 2030 37% of its energy mix (just over 3,500 megawatts) will come from renewable sources.

The blackouts affect all areas of the economy and notably the daily life of Cubans, who show anxiety and are irritated by this situation that is generating social discontent in a country that is currently going through an acute crisis.

Cuba depends heavily on foreign oil to produce energy (thermoelectric plants generate two thirds of its electricity) and its main supplier, Venezuela, has significantly reduced its shipments.